Opener for tear strip containers



21, 1956 A. GEHWEILER 2,759,627

OPENER FOR TEAR STRIP CONTAINERS Filed April 30, 1954 aka/24 UnitedStates Patent OPENER FOR TEAR STRIP CONTAINERS Albert Gehweiler,Spencer, Mass.

Application April 30, 1954, Serial No. 426,851

2 Claims. (Cl. 22052) This invention relates to new and improved openingdevices for containers that are provided with tear strips, and theprincipal object of the invention resides in the provision of a key forreceiving the tab of the tear strip, said key being mounted as thepintle of a hinged member including a pair of leaves, each leaf beingprovided with a guide means to engage the upstanding peripheral rim ofthe usual container of this type, whereby the device may be used oncontainers of many diiferent sizes and accomodates itself automaticallyto the curvature thereof whether the same is circular or of anothershape, and at the same time the construction provides for the automaticmotion of the key itself radially outwardly of the container as the tearstrip is wound on the key, in effect increasing the diameter thereof, tosmoothly accommodate the action of tearing the strip and to preventwedging of the key.

The invention also includes the provision of means for slipping thewound tear strip from the key, the new device not being disposable butmay be used repeatedly with containers of many difierent sizes andshapes.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 isa view in front elevation of a device according to the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof showing the same in use;

Fig. 3 illustrates the device as it is initially applied to the tearstrip of a container;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the device as it appears in Fig. 3, with thecontainer omitted;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the radial outward movementof the key as it winds up the tear strip;

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6--6 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 7 is a view of a modification; and

Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 6 and showing a modification of theguide tab.

The present invention embodies as the main part thereof a pair ofinter-pivoted or hinged members 10 and 12. These members are providedwith hollow bosses or the like indicated generally at 14 which receivethe key 16, the same being slotted at one end as at 18 to receive thetab of the tear strip and having a crank handle 20 at the opposite endfor turning the same. Means such as pins or in-set washers 22 or anyother convenient means may be utilized for maintaining the key 16against extraction from the bosses 14. The hinged members 10 and 12 arerecessed adjacent the slotted portion of the key so that the slot isfully exposed, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that the members 10, 12 form the leaves of a hinge, thepintle of which is the key 16, and these leaves may be swung around in aback-to-back relationship as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in order to form ahandle for easily applying the key 16 to the tab 24 of a tear strip 25for a container 26.

When the tab 24 has been inserted in the slot 18, the leaves 10 and 12may be swung inwardly toward the container and contact the same at theexterior surface thereof as shown in Fig. 2. Each leaf 10 and 12 isprovided with a guide 28 which is bent inwardly and downwardly 2,759,627Patented Aug. 21, 1956 and takes over the peripheral upstanding rim 30normally provided on containers of the class described.

With the device in the Fig. 2 position, the same may be then slightlyheld in position by one hand, although this is not necessary, while thecrank 20 is rotated in a clockwise direction by the other hand and thiswill of course wind the strip from the can, opening the same as will beclear. At the same time, of course, the device travels around the can inthe direction of the arrow in Fig. 2.

As the device travels along the rim of the can, the tear strip beingwound upon the key 16, as indicated in Fig. 5, the material of the tearstrip is wrapped about the key and causes the same to increase indiameter, thus tending to jam or wedge the key against the side of thecan. This action, however, merely causes the hinged members 10 and 12 tobecome relatively more angularly located with respect to each otherbecause the wind-up of the strip materials will cause the leaves tobecome angularly displaced relative to each other. If these leaves wererigidly connected, the key would become wedged against the side of thecontainer and the guide means 28 would increase the frictionalresistance thereof to the sliding motion of the device to such an extentthat the entire device might become stuck and therefore inoperative.

It will be seen that this device is very easily used, it is easilyapplied to the tear strip and it is provided with inter-engaging meansto slidingly secure it to the container being opened. The hingedconstruction provides for easier application of the device to thecontainer and also provides for easy sliding motion around thecontainer, regardless of the size of the wound-up material of the tearstrip, and this action will of course be impossible without the pivotedhinges as described.

The hinge construction 14 may be multiplied at 32 in Fig. 7, to make iteasier to run the device around sharp or square corners, and the guides34 may be impressed with hemispherical projections 36 cooperating withthose at 38 to embrace the rib 40 found on the usual can for preventionof accidental escape of the opening device. In this case, the device isset on the can in tilted relation, to allow rib 40 to enter the narrowspace between the projection 36 and 38, see Fig. 8.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A can opener for rimmed containers having tear strips comprising, apair of members, a pintle, means on the members hingedly engaging thepintle so that the members are inter-pivoted thereby, said members beingrecessed at corresponding edges adjacent the pintle, the latterextending into the area of the recesses and being slotted inwardly fromthe extending end thereof whereby the slot is exposed to receive a tearstrip, and the slotted portion of the pintle is generally free of themembers, means on the members to slidingly engage the rim of acontainer, and means on the pintle to rotate the same independently ofthe members.

2. The can opener of claim 1 wherein the members are arcuate in planesperpendicular to the pintle and the rim-engaging means includes a tab oneach member at the concave side thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,911,613 Epstein May 30, 1933 1,985,290 Hildebrandt Dec. 25, 19342,668,741 Rockwell Feb. 9, 1954 2,719,646 Bank Oct. 4, 1955 FOREIGNPATENTS 325,435 Germany Sept. 14, 1920

